Mushroom Grow Kit Manual

Author: Elena Experience expert (psychedelics and psychoactive & medicinal plants), blogger, passion for healthy food

Are you a beginner or do you have some experience growing mushrooms? There are ways you can get the biggest harvests. These tips will make growing Magic Mushrooms a breeze.

The nice thing about learning something new is that you get better at it. The more often you do it, the easier it gets. Eventually you don't even have to think about it anymore. The whole process happens automatically. That's where I'm at now when it comes to growing magic mushrooms.

What is a mushroom grow kit?

If you are a beginner and want to grow mushrooms for the first time, it might not be clear to you what a grow kit exactly entails. When you've made your choice in what kind of mushrooms you want to grow, you can easily and discreetly place your order online at Sirius.

You will receive a plastic bag and a plastic container with colonized substrate. Colonized substrate is quite a mouthful: the substrate is the growing medium and contains nutrients and a base for the added mycelium, so it can thrive and form mushrooms. 

Life cycle of the mushroom

First, a little explanation about the mushroom. Because how exactly does it grow? A mushroom has a life cycle that is different from that of a human or an animal. To better understand how mushrooms reproduce, below it is compared to a plant. A plant produces fruits, from which the seed is formed. This seed allows the plant to reproduce. In nature, it looks like this:

In this example, we compare the life cycle of the mushroom to that of a plant. In this comparison, the spores of the mushroom are the seed (as in a plant). The underground mycelium is the plant itself and the mushroom is the fruit. The mycelium reproduces by producing mushrooms. When the mushrooms are fully grown they drop their spores (the seeds). These spores then later germinate again and grow into mycelium, allowing the life cycle to complete once more. 

In a grow kit this whole natural process is imitated. When you order a mushroom grow kit you get a colonized substrate that contains the spores of the mushroom (in this case Psilocybe cubensis). By providing the right environmental conditions the spores can form into mycelium and then grow into mushrooms! But what are these proper environmental factors?

Water, air and warmth

For mushrooms it is important that they get enough water, air and warmth. In this they are quite picky. They like warm, moist (but not too moist) and plenty of fresh air.

Use a heat mat for optimal growing conditions!

A heat mat regulates the temperature of the kit. The ideal growing temperature for mushrooms is around 25-28 degrees Celsius. If you are growing at a very warm and sunny time, the use is not necessary. However, at night it can cool down quite a bit, even in summer. So then the use of a heat mat is a good idea. 

Always make sure the mushroom growing kit is never placed directly on the heat mat! Direct contact with the heat mat can cause the kit to dry out. As you know, it is very important for the mycelium to stay moist enough for mushrooms to form. 

How do I use a heating mat?

Place the heat mat in such a way that the kit gets enough light but is not exposed to direct sunlight. So not on a windowsill where the sun shines in.

Turn on the heating mat by putting the plug in the wall socket. On top of the heating mat, place for example a coaster, grid or lay two pencils on either sides, on which you can put the growing set. In this way air can circulate between the heat mat and the grow kit, the kit maintains an optimal temperature and will not dry out!

The importance of working hygienically

One of the most important conditions for a successful harvest of your Mushroom Growkit, is paying attention to hygiene. Funnily enough, mushrooms themselves are very susceptible to other fungi and bacteria and can quickly become infected. If that happens, your whole kit is doomed. So make sure at all times that you work on a clean surface and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. If necessary, disinfect supplies such as scissors with alcohol. 

If the substrate turns a color other than white, it is probably contaminated and beyond saving. Never open a contaminated grow kit but throw it away. 

Before harvesting, wash your hands thoroughly with soap. Open the bag and lift out the container. Harvest the mushrooms by grasping them by the base with two fingers and pulling them out of the ground with a twist. When doing this, touch the substrate as little as possible. 

The mycelium is very susceptible to contamination, especially during growth. In the culture container the mycelium can grow under perfectly sterile conditions. Once fully grown the mycelium is also much less susceptible to contamination. Nevertheless, to avoid any risks, it is still important to keep your work clean. Therefore, wash your hands thoroughly with soap at each step and follow the instructions provided carefully.

Is my mushroom grow kit infected?

It sometimes happens that your grow kit gets infected. As mentioned above it is important to work as sterile as possible. You can easily recognize if your kit is infected: green, blue or black mold is a clear characteristic of this. White mold, on the other hand, is harmless. It can also happen that some brownish colors appear, this has to do with the substrate, which consists of rye. This is completely innocent. If in doubt, send an e-mail to [email protected]. Clearly add pictures of the grow kit, so we can give you the best possible service. 

Where do I put my mushroom grow kit?

A good place to keep the trays is a cupboard above the refrigerator. The heat produced by the refrigerator rises and raises the temperature by a few degrees. You can also use heat elements, but never place the trays directly on a heat source - this will dry out the substrate.

Looking forward to the next 'flush' of mushrooms! 

As you probably know, you can harvest multiple times from one mushroom grow kit! That's great news! So be sure not to throw your kit away immediately after you've harvested for the first time, but restart the kit. You do this simply by following the steps again.

Simply restart the kit by harvesting all the mushrooms, removing the pinheads (small immature mushrooms) and then filling the kit with water. Leave this for 12 hours, closed with the lid. Put the kit for example on the counter. After 12 hours drain the excess water and put the kit back in the plastic bag without the lid. Attach the included paper clips and the growing process can be repeated a second, third and sometimes even fourth time!

A mushroom grow kit mimics a natural process and as it goes in nature, something is never quite the same. So be aware that there will always be factors that will make your harvest larger or smaller. It also happens that the second flush is much bigger than the first! 

Recycling your mushroom grow kit

Unfortunately plastic is used in the manufacture of grow kits. This is necessary to ensure that everything is sterile and the kits cannot become contaminated. The best tip we can give you is to recycle the plastic containers. Wash them clean and use them to store things, or food. If you throw it away, make sure you use the right bin so it can be recycled later. Hopefully, other materials that are more nature-friendly will be used in the future!

Why do you get a stealth box at Sirius?

We want to provide the best possible service to our customers. That's why it's important that a mushroom grow kit is shipped stealth (i.e. without prints, labels or any other information about the contents of the box). This way the customer can rest assured that he or she can start the growing process anonymously and discreetly. 

Are you ready to grow your own magic mushrooms?

Then don't hesitate and order your favorite Magic Mushroom grow kit at Sirius. In the next blog I will give an overview of the different species you can try. For further questions or comments you can always contact us.

Elena Experience expert (psychedelics and psychoactive & medicinal plants), blogger, passion for healthy food

Elena studies Organic and Biodynamic agriculture because, besides psychedelics and psychoactive & medicinal plants, she also has a passion for healthy food. Learning about the endocannabinoid system, different cannabinoids and terpenes is super interesting.

More about Elena